Rainy pattern in eastern US to persist until early June

Those hoping for an extended period of dry weather in the eastern United States will have to wait a few more weeks. There are no signs of a week-long stretch of rain-free weather anywhere in the region into early June.

Washington, D.C., set a new record for consecutive days in a row with rainfall, with at least 0.01 of an inch falling each day from April 27 to May 10. The old record was 10 days in a row set during the summers of 1938 and 1873.

Since April 23, days with rainfall of 0.01 of an inch or more have totaled 11 in Philadelphia, nine in New York City, nine in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and eight in Boston.

Rainfall will continue to hinder agriculture, construction, sports and other outdoor activities across the region despite brief periods of dryness.

"Some subtle changes in the weather pattern will allow small gaps in the rainfall moving forward toward the last part of May," Pastelok said. "But the overall pattern will remain wetter than average for a large part of the Eastern states into early June."

Portions of New England and the Deep South are likely to have the longest gaps in rainfall while the mid-Atlantic will be wet the most often.

Despite the persistent pattern, lower-than-average temperatures will tend to limit the amount of thunderstorm activity, which will reduce the risk of flash and urban flooding.

"With a few exceptions, the greatest potential for flooding downpours will be in the South, where the warm and humid air will make the atmosphere more volatile," Pastelok said.

"In the northern tier states, the atmospheric environment will be more stable and will tend to favor lighter, more general rainfall."

The busy nature of the pattern will prevent precise timing of the rainfall, beyond several days out.

Those needing to recharge in sunlight are encouraged to take advantage of any sunny days, as they will continue to be few and far between into early June, especially in much of the mid-Atlantic.

"We are still a few weeks away from a pattern change during June," Pastelok said. "We still expect rounds of hot weather to fight back during June, July and August."